Sunday, November 14, 2021

November 14, 2021 El Malpais National Monument, Grants New Mexico

 70 and sunny. We hiked the El Calderon trail up to and around the crater of the El Calderon volcano.




Along the way we passed this lava tube cave. They are closed this time of year because the bats are hibernating. This sinkhole is 80 feet deep. It formed when a lava tube collapsed. 



John on the trail. Pinon pine tree with curly grass. 




Two more lava tube caves here too. Xenolith cave 625 feet long and the greatest depth is 114 feet. The view of El Calderon as we hiked up to it. 



Big beautiful backlit rabbit bush, We hiked around the top of the crater. This is the view from the rim.



Looking down into the crater of El Calderon volcano. From the middle right to the upper left, then a turn to the right, is the trail, or long long staircase we climbed to get to the rim of the crater. 



View from the top of the crater across the lava field to the bluffs we were at  yesterday. John hiking in waist to chest deep rabbit bush. 



I love ponderosa pine forests. They are such pretty trees. John on the trail on the way back. The dirt was red here.



The last mile of the hike was on the continental divide trail. The continental divide runs down the center of this park. We stopped at the Route 66 Junkyard brewery to taste their Rack and Pinon beer that they were out of last time we were there. It was so so, so we left it on the table, which is the tail gate of a pickup truck and left. 



Red skyrockets, pink flowers and lantern shaped seed heads from ground cherries. Sunset with the hunchback gibbous moon from the campground. 






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